China Film & Photography Production Services & Camera Crews
Are you a media company, brand, ad agency or production company looking for film / photography production support or shooting crew in China? Contact us for trusted fixers, producers, directors, DoPs, videographers, photographers, and full shooting crews tailored for the specific needs of your project.
Filming in China
For an introduction to shooting in China see below notes on film locations, permits, when to shoot, unique local stories, costs, tax incentives, crews, talent, fringes, premiums, equipment, communications, art department, studios, post facilities, visas and work permits for filming, transport, film-friendly accommodation, and safety advice.
Production In China: An Introduction
Shanghai is China’s financial capital and is also the main centre for advertising. Beijing is the cultural capital of China and focuses more on TV and film production.
Most multinational companies have their China headquarters based in Shanghai therefore you will find most China head offices of international advertising agencies also based in Shanghai. Beijing agencies tend to look after the domestic brands. Beijing budgets are smaller than Shanghai budgets but the volume of work is much larger.
The advertising industry in Shanghai was mostly built by industry professionals from Taipei and Hong Kong. The Beijing advertising industry is dominated more by local industry professionals. Tapping into either the Shanghai or Beijing industry therefore requires a markedly different approach.
Of the main Chinese advertising centres – Shanghai, Beijing Taipei and Hong Kong, Beijing is in many ways the least established and the fastest growing.
Guangzhou is another Chinese production centre worth mentioning. The set construction capability in terms of quality and cost is very impressive. It is also located only one hour from Hong Kong so access to Hong Kong’s production resources is easy and inexpensive.
China Film Locations
China is the largest country in East Asia, and the second most populous country in the world. Film locations include the megacities of Beijing, Shanghai Guangzhou, Chongqing, as well as modern architecture, palaces, temples, pagodas, museums, traditional villages, gardens, factories, mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, beaches, deserts, bridges, tunnels, stadiums, ports, and train stations. China has the most extensive high speed rail network in the world.
China ranks first worldwide in farm output. Agricultural film locations include plantations of tea, wheat, corn, barley, cotton, and rice paddies. It is also a leading producer of pigs, chickens, sheep and cattle. With the world’s largest fishing fleet, commercial fishing vessels are also available for filming. China mines for coal, iron ore, nickel, precious metals, oil and gas. China is a leader in global manufacturing with factories producing a diversity of heavy and light industry items including iron, steel, aluminium, textiles, apparel, electronics, automobiles, trains, ships, and aircraft. Energy locations of note include hydroelectric dams, nuclear power plants, and coal-fired power plants.
Films hosted in China include The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021), Ghost in the Shell (2017), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Her (2013), Skyfall (2012), Looper (2012), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), The Kite Runner (2007), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Armageddon (1998), The Last Emperor (1987), and Empire of the Sun (1987).
China’s film locations can be divided into the following regions:
North China
North China includes the provinces and regions of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia.
Northern Chinese dishes of note include peking duck, chinese dumplings, shredded pork in beijing sauce, braised camel hoof with broccoli, and mongolian hotpot.
Beijing Municipality. Beijing is the political and cultural capital of China, and the nation’s second largest city. It is known for its palaces, temples, pagodas, hutongs, museums, and modern architecture.
The Forbidden City was the former Chinese imperial palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China. Locations of note include Palace Museum, Meridian Gate, Gate of Divine Might, Hall of Supreme Harmony, and Palace of Heavenly Purity. Wide shots of the Forbidden City can be photographed from Jingshan Imperial Park.
Tiananmen Square locations include The Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, and Zhengyangmen Gate.
Imperial Ancestral Temple is located in the Imperial City.
#BBD0E0 »